Page 67 - THE FIRE STATION

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THE DESIGN

“We need to view architectonic space as complementing natural space, removing
the incompatibility existing between the latter and the space we experience.”
Dom Hans van der Laan, Architectonic Space: Fifteen Lessons on the Disposition
of the Human Habitat, Leiden, NewYork, Kobenhavn, Köln, E. J. Brill, 1997
(for the English version, 1977 for the original Dutch version)

ACCESS AND SITE LAYOUT

Locating the fire station on the upper and flattest part of the site Also to the north is a training area where firefighting drills – real-
not only cut back the need for earth-moving work, but also allowed life or simulated – are conducted. As already pointed out, the pre-
the new access roads to be closer to the existing road infrastruc- vailing wind direction (from the south-west) here prevents neigh-
ture. Two access roads to the north-east branch off the Sentier des bouring buildings from being covered by smoke, which is instead
Terrils, extending the existing roads encircling the Federal Police carried away from the buildings towards the slag heap.
building.These roads benefit from the site’s slope, allowing two
entrances at different levels, one for firefighting vehicles, the other Also located here, the training tower with its perforated steel
for staff and visitors. sheeting stands out as a beacon for the whole of Charleroi at
night.
This separation determined the location of the building itself and
its access routes: while the emergency response vehicles travel The sunken path to the foot of this tower begins in Level 0.
along a 158-metre west-east road, staff and visitor traffic use the
152-metre south-north road.These two access roads are linked to To the south, opposite the staff and visitors’ entrance, the delivery
the two existing roads heading south-west. zone is right next to the sports ground one level higher.

The different positioning of these entrances allows traffic to be A paved path connects the sports ground with the training tower..
separated at different levels: While the garage for the fire applianc- This path is separated from the firefighting access road by a hedge.
es is on Level 1 (the ground floor), the staff and visitor’s car park
and the delivery entrance are on Level 0 (the basement). The rest of the site has been left in its original state, thereby creat-
ing a fitness trail for the firemen.
The two outside zones – the area for manoeuvring the fire appli-
ances to the north and the sports ground to the south – clearly
belong to Level 1.